Nike Is Making Sandals Cool Again

Nike recently brought back one of their strangest retros in the Nike Air Rift last month. When created in 1995, the Rift’s main objective was to strip down a running shoe to its most basic components in order to provide runners with as lightweight a performance model as possible. What resulted was the unique construction that was almost-sandal like thanks to an exposed forefoot, a laceless construction that opted for a lockdown strap instead, and a truly unique split toe. If it wasn’t comparable to a sandal then, Nike took the Rift a step further with this NikeLab Free Rift Sandal. The outsole adds the ever-malleable Free technology for an enhanced precision to flexibility, something that matches the Rift’s continuation of the split-toe. The silhouette was originally designed for volleyball athletes, but will hold you down for every day use this summer if you’re looking for a change of pace in your sandal game. Available this Thursday, May 7th globally, the NikeLab Free Rift Sandal will arrive in the U.S. on May 28th.